Color motion picture



Paitented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM L. DO'UDEN,OF IBBOOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR '1O RADIO COBPOBATION O]? AIERIGA ACOBIORA'IION' OF DELAWABE GOLOR IOTION PIGIIJ'UBE .pplicatlon illeclAugust 8, 1929. Serlal N0. 383,868.

formed, a film havmg e11:her longitudinal or lateral cylindrical lensesor a multiplicity of small spherical lenses on the surface thereof isused. In the picture as ages of these lenses ap ear on t e screencausing the appe8rance 0 projection onto a corduroy 01 honeycomb designscreen: This i's particularly objectionable in the case of motionpictures and has heretofore rendered commercial production of picturesfrom standard-size m. m. film impossible.

' One object of this invention is to provide a method of increasing theap arent number of the lenses on the film an thereby decrease theirvisibility.

Another objectof the invention is to clecrease the apparent contrast oflight and shade caused by the images of the lenses and thereby decreasetheir visibility.

Another object of the invention is to.pro-

duce a film of such natura as to produce satisfactory 35 m. m. picturesaccfording to the Berthon process.

Another object of the invention is to provide a film having theforegoing advantages und which is capable Of use in any apparatusalready on the market for projecting the customary film ofthis type.

Another object of the invention is to secure the foregoing advantagesand, at the same time, not render the film incapable .of nse in thereproduction of sound records therefrom.

Anothqr object of the invention is to provide such a film which iscapable of reproduction by printing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process for the printingof such film.

Further und ancillary objects of the invention will hereafter appear undat once suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which theinvention relates by reading the roj ected, im-

following specification in connection with the accompanymg drawingsillustrating several preferred embodiments of my invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a greatly enlarged transverse section of a film base havinglongitudinal cylindrical lenses as now used commerciall und likewise isan enlarged section at C2 2 m Eig. 2 or at C5-C5 in Fig. 3;

F1gure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of 21 referred embodiment of myinvention; an

Figure 3 is a diagra1hmatic illustration of one of the modificationsthereof.

F1gure 4 illustrates the method of making contact prints f1;om thisfilm.

Figure 5 illustrates a registering mechani sm which may be used in theapparatus of F1gm 4.

' Figure 6 diagrarnmatically illustrates the process used.

The lines L in Figs. 2 and 3, representing the cylindrical lenses 0n thefilm, am, 0f course, greatly enlarged in proportion to the size of thefilm.

The preferred form of film, as shown in Fig. 2, is similar to the filmnow on the market in thatthe base thereof is provided with amultiplicity of minute cylindrical lenses running substantiallylongitudinally thereof and is otherwise, in general constructed and usedin the same way as such film.

It diflers in this': The lenses are at a very slight angle to the axisof the film by a predetermined amount. In the form shown in t-his figurethe angle is such that one lens is shifted laterally its own widthin theheight 015 two pictures. F01 example, the lens falling t0 the left 0fthe center line of the film Cl-C1 at the bottom of the picture whosecenter line is indicated C8C3 is exactly centered on C1Cl at the frame1ine at the t0p of this picture and falls t0 the right of Cl-C1 at thetop of the picture whose. center line is indicated as C2C2. This willcause the margins of the lenses in any one frame to exactly coincidewith the centers of the lenses in the preceding and v succeeding frames,and this, due to the persistence of vision will apparently double thenumber of 100 lenses in the picture. 11t the same time, the brightestportions ef the image f euch lens of 0ne pictnre will coineide with thedarkest H portions of the corresponing lenses of the preceding 1I1Clsucceeding pictures and thereby the contrast betvveen tl1e bright unddzirk portions will be cut in half.

The filn1 shown in Fig. 3 is identical with that shovvn in Fig. 2 exceptthat the lenses are slopec l one und a half times their Width in theheight of auch picture. The function und operation thereof beingidentical with that 0l the film shown in Fig. 2.

lt will 'be obvieus that if the projection speed is inereese teapprepriate degree t0 cause 21 sufiicient nnrnben of' pictures to heprejeeted within the pe1iorl of.persistence of vision the slope ef thelenses can be ehosen accorclindy, se thet insteacl 0f' being merelynpparently double in numher ancl halved in contrast, tl ey will hetrebleci er quadrupled in number With z; eorrespending decrease incontmst ancl:thet thereby the projection 0f 35 m. m. film tesul:wstantially any practical deg1ee of magniiication hecomescommercially fensible.

Et Will he obvieus te those skilled in the art that there are 1nenyotlzer nnnlogous ways in which this result migh he secured.

Will be obvions ti t {L very slight inclinairi0n cf the lines insnientte produee uni form subdivision of the iines within the perioel 0 3persisenee 033 vison, Will enuse the lens elements t0 eppan moveprogressiv ee1oss the pictnre, v7n1le if a perfectly nnuorm sulxlivisien0 lines is secured 1 1is film vvell to print1ng ef negative film o ingpositive filni stecl: ean he the lines ef bot long-mclinnllv until 7en1ne1de es illus- '-e watehing the lines .refullv 101 en vweineiclence. When, e 02 expension o:f either 110 langer exaetly cessa1yt0 iee i the positive stach distenee lass than frames 111 cl iorm, antia eor res nncimg ans forme usin'g agneater er less i1 011 0f the linesuntil the lines 01 len again exaetly coineide. ihis ma v reedil v beaccen1plishecl by the apperntus shown in F anal 5 where the tvvo drivingsprecltets 10 anal 11 a1e gearecl together b v 1eans 0 3 the gee1s 12und 13. The relative positions 0E the sproelie'ts ean be (3l1211 {'(l bythe framin;; meehenisn1 shown more in detail in Fig. 5. The gear 13 isintegral with the hollovv slmft 1 1 which is proviclecl with a spiralslet The sprocket sheit 16 is lil evrise lmliew und extends through thesh anal the shaft 16 is p'ro viclecl with the longitudinal aperture 17.A longitudinally movable member 18 carr ing the pin 19 fits smoothlywithin the sha 16 with the pin 19 extending through the slots and 17,anti Ion 'tuclinal movernent of the member 18 by the mob 20 causesrelative an gular movement of the sprocket 11 und the 'gear 13 andtherefore relative longitudinal movement 0f the two films. This framingmechanism is describedmerely to illustrate the process und is well knownin the art, and it will be obvious that any other type of comventionalmotion pieture framing mechanism whieh rotates a sprocket relative t0its driving shaft may be used instead. The framing meehanism heredescribed is illustrated for example in Patent Number 603,771 issued May1G, 1898. In this process the positive stock is preferably perforated at0r adjacent t0 the printing gate, to avoid misalignment of theperforations and pictures after the correcting operation referred toabove.

These films can be printed either by one 0'f the usual methocls 0fprojection printing with narrow diaphragms 01 by contaet printingbaek-to-baek (i. e. emulsion side to emulsion side). Lenses on thepositive stoek, of

eourse, must be at the san1e angle as those in the negative stock butinclined in the opposite directien (1s viewed fr0m the faee of the film,

er, in other words, the films are enantiomor phie. The lenses 011 thepositivestoek shoulcl,

furthe1, be smaller thnn those .01 the mw negative stoek in the sameratio es the negative stock normelly shrinks during proeessing, in erdenthat they will be 01" exactly the sa1ne eine wvhen in the printer.

It Will reedily beeome apparent that vnri ous other modificntions may hen1ade te the invention hereinabove deseribetl, anal nmny otherapplieations the1eof to nher films oft geometrical pattern Will presentthemselves; und I believe myseli t0 be entitled te make nny anal allsuch modificntions anti ehanges es fall fairly within the spirit antiseope 0f tl1e inventien es definei by the hereinafter appencle=cl elaimsHaving now (lescribecl my invention what- I clainn is:

1. A 1notion picture film coznprising a, plurality of longitudinaleylindrieal lens elements inclinecl at such an angle ahnt the cen" terscf the lenses in one pictul'e Will substantially eoineide with themargins of the lenses in the next succeecling und preeerling pictures.

9;. A. motion pieture film eoxnprising a plurality 0f lens elements soarrangecl in the suecessive pictures appearing during the peiiod ef'persistence of vision that the area 0ccupiecl hy any 0ne lens elementappearing at the beginning 0f an v such periocl will be uniforml vsubdivided b v the margins of other lens elements appearing during theremainder 0f such period.

3. The process of producing motion pictures cornprising projecting animage from a film comprising a plurality f 1ens elements and proyactingthe next sequential image 5 from such film with the lens elementsshifted so as to uniformly subdivide the images of the first seid lenselements.

4. The process of projecting motion pictures comprising projectingwithin ehe period of persistence 0f vision sequential pictures from afilm comprising a plurality of lens elements a.nd uniformly shiftingseid lens elements, from picture to picture, during said period at sucha rate that the next succeeding picture at the end of such period.

has the lens elements in the same position as Ware those in the pictureat the beginning of seid period.

5. The process of printing frm a film having a plurality 0f cylindricallenses a1: a slight angle to the longitudinal axis of the film to asimilar sensitive film comprising the step of shifting one of seid filmslongitudinally in relation to the other until the lenses 0f the twofilms are substantially coincident.

6. The process of producing colored m0- tion pictures comprising first,exposing a film comprising a multiplicity of minute cylindrical lenselements slightly inclined -t0 the axis of the film through an opticalsystem comprising a c olor filter consisting of a plurality ofcontiguous complementary sections to form a negative, second finishingseid negative; third printing from seid negative to enantiomorphicpositive stock, fourth finishing the positive print, and fifthprojecting successive images from seid positive print throughcorrespondingly complementary color filters on to a screen at such arate that the area occupied by any one lens element appearing at thebeginning of any period of persistence 0f vision Will be uniformlysubdivided by the margins of other lens elements app earing during theremainder of such per1od.

WILLIAM L. DOUDEN.

